1. food and drink
2. food
3. grains and pasta

Sign In
Register
Print Subscription Conv ersations
POLITICS
Advice
OPINIONS
Carolyn Hax
In the News
Food
LOCAL
Home & Garden
Carolyn Hax
Today 's Paper
SPORTS
Style
Mega Millions
A gui de to ‘Game of
Thr ones’
National
Travel
Going Out Guide Jobs Cars Real Estate Rentals Classif ieds Shopping
World
Business
Weddings
Peeps contest
Investigations
Wellness
#springplaylist
Magazine
Lifestyle
Entertainment
Multimedia
KidsPost
Search The Washington Post
‘This American Life’
Peeps Show V I: Thi s
y ear ’s b est
‘Ti tani c ’ star s: Then and
now
Kei th Ol b er mann out at
Cur r ent TV
Mac and cheese: A macrocosm of variations
WP Social Reader
Friends' Activity
Hide this
Most Popular In Lifestyle
Y our Friends’ Most Recent Activ ity
Lynn Miller shared Bruce Springsteen gives
music history lesson at SXSW, then rocks the
night away. · about 2 weeks ago
Lynn Miller shared Obama calls Sandra Fluke,
View More Activity
View Photo Gallery — With the wealth of ingredients av ailable in a grocery store or f armers market, y ou can
make this belov ed comf ort f ood in nearly limitless permutations. All y ou need is imagination. Here are some of our
f av orite mac-and-cheese-f riendly pastas, cheeses, meats and other components. Start with the Classic Macaroni
and Cheese recipe, then tinker with these v ariations or add y our own. — Jane Touzalin
Text Size
Print
E-mail
Reprints
Powered by
The Post Most: Lifestyle
Most Popular
1. Carolyn Hax: A paranoid girlfriend; lie about sexual past?;
comparing marriages
By Jane Touzal i n, Pub l i shed: Feb r uar y 28
Start a pot of pasta water on th e stov e, an d i t boi l s down to th i s: Y ou can m ake m acaron i an d ch eese 365 day s a
y ear an d n ev er do i t th e sam e way twi ce.
2. Date Lab: Start on a romantic note and the rest will follow
3. Miss Manners: Husband's friendship looks like an affair
4. Ask Amy: Flirty friend leaps into the wrong man's arms
Wi th a n earl y i n fi n i te array of poten ti al com pon en ts, th i s m ost A m eri can of com fort foods al so can be Mexi can ,
In di an , Ital i an , Greek, Fren ch or an y cu i si n e i n wh i ch ch eese i s a gi v en . Ev en a m odestl y stocked pan try al l ows
y ou to grab an d get goi n g. Fl ou r an d bu tter becom e a rou x, th e rou x becom es a bech am el , th e bech am el becom es a
ch eese sau ce, an d di n n er i s n ot far away .
5. J.K. Rowling announces new book; Harry Potter fans react
Top Videos
Top Galleries
Recipe Finder
28
Comments
Weigh In
Rec ommend
Corrections?
Th ere’s real l y n o reason n ot to m ake i t y ou rsel f,
al th ou gh th ese day s y ou can al so get y ou r m ac-an dch eese fi x i n a sl ew of restau ran ts, ev en at th e h i gh
en d. Th e In n at Li ttl e Wash i n gton prepares i t wi th
V i rgi n i a cou n try h am an d sh av ed tru ffl e for a secon d
cou rse; at V i dal i a down town , i t’s av ai l abl e wi th
sm oked h am as a si de.
Plan dinner, try new f oods or explore cuisines with Recipe Finder,
a database of recipes tested by The Washington Post.
Ingredient or Recipe Name
e.g., chicken, basil, Skillet Lasagna
Graphic
A n d soon , Wash i n gton cou l d joi n th e growi n g l i st of
areas th at are h om e to a recen t ph en om en on : th e m acan d-ch eese restau ran t. Robert Du n n , a Con n ecti cu t
en trepren eu r, open ed Mac!daddy ’s Macaron i an d
Ch eese Bar i n affl u en t Mon roe, Con n ., 70 m i l es ou tsi de
Man h attan , l ast Ju l y an d say s sal es h av e been “ju st
u n bel i ev abl e. . . . I go th rou gh a th ou san d pou n ds of
m acaron i a week.” He ju st sol d a fran ch i se for 10
l ocati on s i n Texas, pl an s th ree m ore i n Con n ecti cu t,
say s h e i s “cl ose to m aki n g a deal ” for fi v e stores i n
Cal i forn i a an d adds: “I’m tal ki n g to som ebody i n D.C. I
ju st don ’t wan t to m en ti on h i s n am e.” Un der
di scu ssi on : “at l east th ree to fi v e” stores h ere.
Macdaddy ’s sel l s abou t 25 di fferen t m acs, far
ecl i psi n g th e !opti on s at CapMac, a D.C. area food tru ck.
Du n n , 42, i s a sel f-tau gh t cook wh o say s h e u sed h i s
prev i ou s experi en ce at a fai l ed fi n e-di n i n g restau ran t
h e own ed i n dev el opi n g reci pes for th e m ac-an d-
Don’t make y our macaroni and cheese the same old way . Use
this Mac-and-cheese-o-matic to spice up this comf ort f ood
standby .
ch eese pl ace, wh ere th ere are m ore th an 20
perm u tati on s on th e m en u . “It’s so easy to m ake th i s
stu ff taste great,” h e say s. On e reci pe, for exam pl e, i s
basi cal l y a pasta v ersi on of a m u sh room ri sotto h e
Course
Choose...
Go
Browse Recipes:
Beef
Kid-Friendly
Chicken
Meatless
Fast
Pasta
Fish
Poultry
Greens
Shellfish
Easter
Vegetables
Healthy
Advanced recipe search
DC Restaurant Finder
By Tom Sietsema Rating
See how critic Tom Sietsema rated D.C. restaurants in the Going Out
Guide.
sol d at h i s ol d restau ran t.
1-1/2 or fewer
Hom e cooks can take th at sam e approach , tu rn i n g
fav ori te fl av or com bi n ati on s i n to ch eesy casserol es.
Ch i cken , cel ery , bl u e ch eese an d wi n g sau ce m ake
Bu ffal o ch i cken m ac an d ch eese. Corn ed beef,
sau erkrau t an d ry e bread cru m bs m ake Reu ben m ac
an d ch eese. Caram el i zed on i on s an d Gru y ere ev oke
Fren ch on i on sou p. A n d so on . It’s a far cry from th e
day s wh en Mom sti rred h ot dog sl i ces or can n ed tu n a
i n to th e m i x.
2+ Stars
3+ Stars
4+ Stars
Best Bets Dining Lists
Best burgers
Best cheap eats
Best pizza
It’s al so a far cry from wh at m ac-an d-ch eeseh eads
refer to as “th e bl u e box.” Kraft i n trodu ced i ts boxed
Best romantic restaurants
Best steak
m ac an d ch eese i n 1937, n ear th e en d of th e Great
Depressi on , an d i t rem ai n s th e pre!em i n en t storebou gh t bran d !t oday , despi te i n roads m ade by A n n i e’s
Hom egrown an d oth er com peti tors. (On Facebook:
727,469 “Li kes” for Kraft, 219,316 for A n n i e’s.) Bu t ev en Kraft h as ev ol v ed wi th th e ti m es, an d i ts produ cts n ow
i n cl u de su ch !f l av ors as Sh arp Ch eddar an d Bacon , Ch eesy A l fredo an d !E xtrem e Ch eese Expl osi on .
Live Discussions
There are no discussions scheduled today .
Free Range on Food
By th e ti m e Kraft en tered th e gam e, m acaron i an d ch eese h ad l ost i ts l u ster as th e h i gh -soci ety di sh i t on ce was.
Free Range on Food is a f orum f or
discussion of all things culinary .
Th om as Jefferson en cou n tered i t i n Eu rope, wh ere i t was a fash i on abl e food, an d i s sai d to h av e brou gh t i t back to
A m eri ca. Ju st wh at h e brou gh t back i s a m atter of debate. Ph i l adel ph i a-based ch ef Wal ter Stai b, wh o h osts a
pu bl i c tel ev i si on sh ow on A m eri ca’s cu l i n ary begi n n i n gs, th eori zes th at th e pasta was “m acaron i , m ay be som e
ki n d of pen n e or pappardel l e,” an d th at th e ch eese was Gru y ere.
Weekly schedule, past shows
Connect With Post Food
“Jose A n dres wi l l di sagree wi th th at,” h e say s wi th a sm i l e.
Su re en ou gh , at A n dres’s A m eri ca Eats Tav ern i n Pen n Qu arter, th e cel ebri ty ch ef’s jou rn ey i n to U.S. cu l i n ary
h i story , v erm i cel l i i s broi l ed wi th bu tter an d Parm esan ch eese i n a di sh h e h as cal l ed “th e ol dest way of m aki n g
ch eese wi th pasta ev er recorded i n A m eri ca.”
Th e ol d way s are fi n e, bu t th ese day s we h av e th e cu l i n ary resou rces to m ake m ac an d ch eese i n en dl ess creati v e
com bi n ati on s: wi th al l of th e pastas, ch eeses, m eats, seafood, fru i ts, v egetabl es an d oth er i n gredi en ts a
su perm arket (or farm ers m arket) h as to offer.
Facebook: Become a f an of Washington Post Food
Featured Adv ertiser Links
for L U N G C A N C E R V I C T I M S
In th e accom pan y i n g graph i c, we’v e l ai d ou t way s to con coct y ou r own — wi th a basi c reci pe, a few v ari ati on s an d
a l i st of ou r fav ori te m ac-an d-ch eese com pon en ts — wh eth er i t’s ev ery day of th e y ear or ju st di n n er ton i gh t.
HIP REPLACEMENT -- did you get one after
RECIPES
Reci pe: Cl assi c Macaron i an d Ch eese
Reci pe:Bu ffal o Ch i cken Macaron i an d Ch eese
Reci pe: Bu ttern u t Squ ash Macaron i an d Ch eese
Reci pe: In di an Macaron i an d Ch eese
Reci pe: Sh ri m p an d Pesto Macaron i an d Ch eese
'03?
Sign up for email updates from President Obama's 2012
campaign.
Looking to buy a home? Visit TWP Real Estate section for the
latest open houses.
Make Your Vanguard Investing More Profitable - Free Research
Report Reveals Best & Worst Funds
28
Comments
Discussion Policy | FAQ | About Discussions
Comments are closed.
About Badges
Read what others are saying
Top Comments (4)
Sort Comments:
All Comments (28)
Newest to Oldest
princessbuttercup wrote:
Real Estate
2/29/2012 6:57 PM EST
Here's the easiest recipe ever - has to bake for about an hour, but it could not be simpler to put together since
it's all in one dish. Spray a 9x13 dish, cover the bottom of the pan with a generous layer of uncooked elbow
noodles, sprinkle with salt and pepper, take 3 generous cups of shredded cheese - any kind - and cover the
elbows, then pour milk over this until completely covered. Bake at 350 for about an hour, until the cheese gets
golden on top, let it sit for 15 minutes when you take... See More
Recommend
Report
House of the week: Capitol Hill pie factoryturned loft
This former manufacturing building
features tall ceilings, open staircases
and a...
Listings
$449,000, 3 bd / 3 bath
For Sale By Owner
Washington, DC
indvoter37 responds:
3/1/2012 9:40 AM EST
$1,560,000, 5 bd / 5 bath
Recently Listed
Bethesda, MD
This sounds similar to the mac-cheese my mother used to make. She never made a white sauce,
just layered ingredients in a pan and baked it. However I think she cooked the macaroni first.
Recommend
Report
Search by Address, City, Zip, Neighborhood
View more responses
Go to The Post's Real Estate
WashingtonDame wrote:
2/29/2012 9:12 AM EST
All I can say is; YUM.
Recommend Recommended by 4 readers
Top Li f est y l e St ori es
Peopl e Al so Rea d
Report
Most Popu l a r Vi deos
SPONSORED VIDEO
Rivette Expects Facebook to
Buy More Patents
Crosslink's Venture Capital
Strategy, Facebook IPO
Mom accused of running
prostitution ring in NYC (0:…
Campaign Shocker: Obama
Girl Flirts with Ralph Nader!
BeetTV
by Taboola
Ways you can get us
Mobile
Newsletter & alerts
Post Store
Washington Post Live
The Washington Post
Apps
RSS
Facebook
Twitter
Work for us
Community Relations
PostPoints
Corrections/Suggestions
Archive
Contact the Ombudsman
Report a problem
Web site
Make us your homepage
Digital Guidelines
Ask The Post
Advertise
In the newspaper
On the web site
Mobile
Events
Newspaper
Subscribe
Home delivery service
e-Replica
The Washington Post Company
Post Company web sites
Partners
© 1996-2012 The Washington Post Terms of Service Privacy Policy Reprints and Permissions RSS Terms of Service
Help Contact Us Ad Choices